Yarrrrrn!!

It’s not what you think. Well, it is, but it’s also something else. So a couple weeks back, I saw someone’s tee shirt on Reddit and it had the cutest design on it, so naturally I set out to Google it and find out where it came from. After a couple near-brushes with some spammy mass-clothing websites and some generally shoddy work in general, I came upon an archived sale page on Etsy. The listing was for an iron-on patch, but that is actually better than a tee shirt, because I really only wear tees around the house and with a patch I could display my love of this thing ALL OVER!! Being the internet sleuth I am (ha. ha. hahahaha…ahem), I immediately and impulsively sent the shop owner a message asking if she had ever thought about making more, and if she had I was interested in buying one should that day ever arrive. She answered almost immediately and said she would be happy to make one just for me. Well, of course I was!! I perused the rest of her wares and figured it would run me about $11 plus shipping, so that was okay (She ended up charging me $13.50 plus shipping, which was more than I probably would’ve paid if I had known the price up front, but given that I had already expressed intent to purchase, I didn’t think it would be very cool to quibble…) And it turns out it was totally worth it, because Gerri does incredibly quality work and I am just thrilled with my new (and first!!) patch. So without further ado, I present to you my current favorite thing:

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So yeah, there I am, haha. Forgive that weird monster hand I have, too. Eeeew… All that aside, the patch is the cutest and I 100% recommend Gerri for all of your patchy needs. She’s got a really cute yin-yang cat patch, too, in case you find yourself in need of that in your life – and really, who isn’t in need of a patch like that?

Besides that, I’ve finished my Attic24 bag, FINALLY. I will have a little instagram photo shoot for her later, but I figured I should put together a quality blog post before then since it had been a while. That’s this post, in case there was a mystery as to where this “quality post” is. So far, we’re doin’ good, huh. So upon finishing the Attic24 bag, I decided it was about time to pick up my Mollie Makes hexagon motif blanket again.

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This is actually one of the first projects I started when I picked up the crochet hook again and I think it will be absolutely lovely when it’s finished. The pattern is from the Mollie Makes Crochet book (Amazon link, but not affiliated!!), and while I can’t share the pattern here, there are SO MANY free hexie patterns out there that it would not be difficult to come up with one to emulate it. Here’s a Ravelry search I did in about 15 seconds – you have to be a Ravelry member to see the link, but at this point if you are even a casual fiber artist and don’t have a Ravelry account, I don’t know if we can be friends anymore (That’s how valuable Rav is – if they ever release a mobile app, I’m done for. Cooked.) Anyway, it’s a super simple pattern and like I said, I started it when I was a born-again noob, but now that I have a couple months under my belt (yeh, I know, still a noob compared to some of the vets, but a haaaylll of a lot more experience than I did before!) I have found myself speeding along these little things. I am having trouble, though, because clearly my tension was alllllll over the place the last time I touched these and doing it now it is like 2 different people are completing this project. Sigh… I’m hoping blocking will solve some of the problems, because I’m about 37 hexies in and there is no way in Care-a-lot that I am starting over. The Mollie Makes throw is about 224 hexagons, but since I am making this as a throw for our queen-sized bed, I measured it out be about 330 hexagons, and almost 40 half-hexies for the border. Here are a couple pics of the yarn I’m using (Lion Brand Wool-Ease) and another shot of all the hexagons playing nice together, plus a couple that are in the middle of completion.

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It’s funny, I was so damn tired of working on these hexagons when I put them down to do other stuff, and now I have a renewed vigor for them. I’m excited to spend a couple solid weeks on these and see what kind of dent I can put in that big ole’ number up there.

And finally, I will leave you with the bane of the mister’s existence these days. The wisteria has gotten to the point that he absolutely dreads every year:

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Flower snow!!!!!!! I won’t lie, I find it annoying as well, and part of my plans this weekend include banishing all the spent blooms to the yard waste bin, to be carted to the curb by a tired (and hopefully sun-drenched) me on Sunday evening. But the glory and gorgeousness of this decades-old shrub far outweighs the nuisance it creates when it is finished with its blooms. Until next time, I hope the weather is as favorable wherever you are as it has been here. It never fails to amaze me how I don’t ever really get tired of our weather. It’s varied and of course I complain, but I do love it, especially at spring and fall. I’ll leave you with the view I have on the rare occasions that I have to sit on the deck with an iced coffee and my yarn…

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